# Howard Friedman

> Howard A. Friedman is Chief Executive Officer and a director of Utz Brands, Inc., based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. An Army veteran and Dickinson College economics graduate with an NYU Stern MBA, he previously led Post Consumer Brands, served as Post Holdings’ Chief Operations Officer and held senior roles at Kraft Heinz. His Utz tenure has focused on brand investment, distribution expansion and the integration of a family-founded snack portfolio.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Director at Utz Brands, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Utz Brands, Inc., Post Holdings, Inc., Post Consumer Brands, The Kraft Heinz Company, Kraft Foods, United States Army
- **Education:** B.A., Economics, Dickinson College, M.B.A., Marketing and Finance, New York University, Stern School of Business
- **Known for:** Led Post Consumer Brands before promotion to a newly created operations role at Post Holdings., Selected to lead Utz Brands and join its board in December 2022., Held leadership responsibilities for household brands including Philadelphia, Oscar Mayer, Lunchables and Pebbles.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Graduated from Dickinson College, where he studied economics and participated in ROTC.
- **Before food-industry career** — Served as a U.S. Army logistics officer in Seoul and Fort Bragg; completed service as a captain.
- **Before 2018** — Worked in general management, marketing and sales at Kraft and Kraft Heinz, including leading Walmart sales.
- **2016–2018** — Led the refrigerated meat and dairy business at Kraft Heinz as executive vice president.
- **2018-07** — Became President and CEO of Post Consumer Brands, effective July 23.
- **2021-09** — Became Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Post Holdings following July announcement.
- **2022-12** — Became Utz Brands CEO and director; appointment announced with a December 15 start date.
- **2024-10** — Led a Utz plant visit for 40 Dickinson students through the Burgess Institute.
- **2026-07** — Communicated Utz’s announced Intersnack take-private agreement to employees.

## Achievements

- Led Post Consumer Brands before promotion to a newly created operations role at Post Holdings.
- Selected to lead Utz Brands and join its board in December 2022.
- Held leadership responsibilities for household brands including Philadelphia, Oscar Mayer, Lunchables and Pebbles.
- Connected Dickinson students with consumer-goods careers through a 40-student plant visit in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Utz reported second-quarter net sales of $371.8 million, up 1.4%, adjusted EBITDA of $55.7 million and a GAAP net loss of $16.0 million. The August 5 release continued to describe the Intersnack transaction as expected to close in Q4 2026, subject to conditions.
- **2026-07** — Utz announced a proposed $14.25-per-Class-A-share take-private transaction with Intersnack, with approximately $2.9 billion enterprise value. The planned post-close ownership is 50% Intersnack and 50% Rice and Lissette family entities.

## Links

- Website: https://www.utzsnacks.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-friedman-0b83554

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/howard-friedman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22